Testmate Health is a company that develops rapid, disposable, at-home self-tests that detect common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with laboratory-grade accuracy. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Testmate Health co-founder and CEO Dr. Siew-Veena Sahi to learn more.
Dr. Siew-Veena Sahi’s Background
Dr. Siew-Veena Sahi, Testmate’s co-founder and CEO, has roots in medicine and global health, beginning her journey in Singapore and further in Switzerland. While in medical school, she completed a Tanzania elective at Mohimbili National Hospital, where she saw firsthand the barriers patients faced in accessing timely diagnostic care. Witnessing patients travel long distances for tests but often not returning for results sparked her mission to create rapid, low-cost diagnostics that eliminate the dangerous “loss to follow-up” seen in sexual and women’s health.
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Dr. Sahi said:
“The idea for Testmate emerged from real-world medical experience: recognizing the urgent need for accessible, accurate, and rapid diagnostic testing. Dr. Sahi saw the challenge of patients not receiving results due to long waits and lack of local labs. Today, as CEO, she sets company strategy, builds and scales the team, drives clinical and commercial partnerships, and represents Testmate globally.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Dr. Sahi reflected:
“One of my favorite moments was watching a participant of the human factors testing use the test for the first time without any explanation and immediately understood how it worked. That was the point where years of technical decisions, design trade-offs, and user-centered thinking came together. It confirmed that we weren’t just building clever science but we were building something that could realistically fit into real-world workflows and actually change patient care.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Dr. Sahi explained:
“Testmate is pioneering low-cost, high-accuracy urine diagnostics for sexual and women’s health. Its first test detects chlamydia and gonorrhea, delivering lab-quality results in minutes from a single-use, easy-to-read device. Key features include:
— High accuracy and affordability: No compromise between molecular-level precision and accessibility.
— Dual sample capability: Processes urine and swabs in one test, reducing the need for multiple products.
— Rapid, private, stigma-free results: Eliminates lab shipping and long waits.
— Integrated workflow: Entire diagnostic process is automated in-device, eliminating bottlenecks from traditional lab methods.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector of work recently? Dr. Sahi acknowledged:
“Diagnostics is a highly regulated, capital-intensive sector, and building something fundamentally new without relying on large instruments is often met with skepticism. Testmate had to prove that low cost does not mean low performance. We’ve overcome this by generating strong clinical data early, working closely with leading health systems, and staying deeply involved in both the science and the regulatory strategy rather than outsourcing those decisions.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Dr. Sahi noted:
“Testmate initially focused on novel detection methods for rapid STI testing. However, it quickly became clear that detection alone was not the limiting factor. The real technical bottleneck was upstream: the purification and preparation of urine samples in a way that enables high-sensitivity molecular detection without complex instruments.”
“This insight fundamentally reshaped the company’s technical direction. Testmate shifted from being detection-centric to solving one of the hardest problems in molecular diagnostics — low-cost, instrument-free sample preparation — and then re-integrated detection into a fully end-to-end system. This evolution is what enables lab-quality performance in a single-use, accessible format.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Dr. Sahi cited:
— Winning MassChallenge as a startup.
— Evolving from a basement startup to a globally recognized innovator in diagnostics.
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Dr. Sahi highlighted:
“Testmate is not yet commercial, but we work closely with leading clinics and health systems during development. These partners help shape clinical workflows, usability, performance requirements and ensure the product is built for real-world care delivery from day one. Early clinical feedback has been instrumental in validating the need for rapid, same-visit molecular testing.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Dr. Sahi revealed:
“Testmate is venture-backed and has raised approximately $9 million by a combination of private investment and non-dilutive funding. We are pre-revenue.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Dr. Sahi assessed:
“Testmate is initially targeting the global chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnostics market, which is estimated at $4–5 billion annually, driven by routine screening, rising incidence, and expanding testing mandates.”
“In the U.S. alone, there are ~200 million STI tests performed annually, with chlamydia and gonorrhea representing the largest molecular testing volumes. As Testmate expands into additional STIs and broader women’s health diagnostics, the platform opportunity grows to a $15–20+ billion global diagnostics market.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Dr. Sahi affirmed:
“Testmate eliminates the historic trade-off in STI testing between accuracy and affordability. Unlike traditional diagnostics or rapid dipsticks, Testmate delivers molecular-level accuracy in minutes, is easy to use, low-cost, and inclusive. The integrated workflow reduces complexity, removes barriers, and delivers results without stigma or long waits.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Dr. Sahi affirmed:
— Expand testing to additional STIs and broader women’s health diagnostics.
— Rapidly scale diagnostics to homes, clinics, and rural communities worldwide, making testing as common and simple as taking a pregnancy test.
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Dr. Sahi concluded:
“Testmate is driven by a health equity mission, addressing the global crisis of undiagnosed infections by lowering barriers for high-risk populations and underserved communities. By making testing affordable, rapid, and accessible, the company empowers people everywhere to take control of their health without stigma or delay.”
